Thoughts on sound effects (onomatopoeia)?

[Verdant]

So in my novel, I have a ton of sound effects. Stuff like BOOM, SWOOSH, bam, etc. I wondered that when a reader encounters this, are they bothered by it? Is it cringy and objectively bad writing?

Or do readers enjoy these kinds of literary devices?

Obviously, not all readers are the same. This post is designed to get an overall vibe reading on most readers.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I am mehbleh on them. I think they fit comics better than stories, so I don't use very many.

 

[Anemic_Vampire]

They don't bother me at all. I heard somewhere that it's a good idea to stimulate all five senses in readers, including sounds. As long as the author doesn't go “Kaboom” on everything.

 

[ElijahRyne]

So in my novel, I have a ton of sound effects. Stuff like BOOM, SWOOSH, bam, etc. I wondered that when a reader encounters this, are they bothered by it? Is it cringy and objectively bad writing?

Or do readers enjoy these kinds of literary devices?

Obviously, not all readers are the same. This post is designed to get an overall vibe reading on most readers.

It depends on context…

 

[TremendousHuman]

*zinnnn*
*wroom*
*boom*
*crash*
"DID SOMEONE SAY... SFX?"
*thunder*

 

[TheKillingAlice]

It's objectively bad writing, period. Maybe I'm old school, but while small sounds can be taken in, like creaking or a dripping sound, they should always be somewhat integrated into text.
So a flat one line of SWOOSH doesn't cut it. And while in a visual medium, you get to have the sound to add to the picture, you will have to describe what is happening in a non-visual medium anyway, so it becomes mostly redundant to even do it. Especially since written out SFX is quite cringey if you read it without a visual context that makes it necessary.
I just had that in a story I reviewed and called it out as not beneficial. He started the story with someone getting splattered by a truck and the scene finished on "Kaboom" or something along the lines of that SFX, in all the glory you would think of, standalone, capitalized, etc. That felt more out of context, later on even more when looking back on it because it wasn't part of the author's style either, he just threw it in that once and never did it again.
You can simply integrate it into text, so it won't stand out like a sore thumb, yet let you reader in on what the characters are hearing right now.

 

[GlassRose]

To me as a reader it feels jarring for the medium, and like an inexperienced writer thing. There are better ways to convey sound in a novel. More integrated, but also more, specific and simultaneously abstract. Trying to describe a sound via onomatopoeia is a bad idea because it's limited to sounds that the human mouth can make, and even more specifically, limited to sounds that we use in language, not even the full breadth of human sounds. Thus, onomatopoeia will inevitably be a rough approximation of the sound, so the reader both doesn't get as much information because it's obfuscated by the estimate, and it fails to immerse the reader in the true sound, while also actively throwing the reader out because it doesn't mesh with the medium.

 

[PancakesWitch]

I use them all the time but only in action scenes and I write 9 books and all have action scenes or are heavily action based. The thing to not make it cringe is timing it well with the pace of the narration. Some readers will dislike it though, but others will like it, as it gives more life to the scenes and make them feel "loud". But I would say that only write them if you really like writing action and write it a lot. If not, then there's little point to it, to be honest.

To me as a reader it feels jarring for the medium, and like an inexperienced writer thing, there are better ways to convey sound in a novel. More integrated, but also more, specific and simultaneously abstract. Trying to describe a sound via onomatopoeia is a bad idea because it's limited to sounds that the human mouth can make, and even more specifically, limited to sounds that we use in language, not even the full breadth of human sounds. So onomatopoeia will inevitably be a rough approximation of the sound, so the reader both doesn't get as much information because it's obfuscated by the estimate, and it fails to immerse the reader in the true sound, while also actively throwing the reader out because it doesn't mesh with the medium.

it only doesnt mesh if its not a heavy action scene, if you dont write action dont add onomatopeia. but if you write big anime fights that are like fucking dragon ball then why not add BOOM! and CLASH! every now and then? it's not like your readers aren't weebs used to action mangas already, I dont write books for boring old boomers that want proffessionally written stories, fuck that.

 

[Zinless]

*zinnnn*
*wroom*
*boom*
*crash*
"DID SOMEONE SAY... SFX?"
*thunder*

Did someone call me?

 

[TremendousHuman]

Did someone call me?

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I use them all the time but only in action scenes and I write 9 books and all have action scenes or are heavily action based. The thing to not make it cringe is timing it well with the pace of the narration. Some readers will dislike it though, but others will like it, as it gives more life to the scenes and make them feel "loud". But I would say that only write them if you really like writing action and write it a lot. If not, then there's little point to it, to be honest.

it only doesnt mesh if its not a heavy action scene, if you dont write action dont add onomatopeia. but if you write big anime fights that are like fucking dragon ball then why not add BOOM! and CLASH! every now and then? it's not like your readers aren't weebs used to action mangas already, I dont write books for boring old boomers that want proffessionally written stories, fuck that.

You aren't you when you're hungry. Have a cookie.

 

[PancakesWitch]

You aren't you when you're hungry. Have a cookie.

Im not angry

 

[AmeronWerschrux]

So in my novel, I have a ton of sound effects. Stuff like BOOM, SWOOSH, bam, etc. I wondered that when a reader encounters this, are they bothered by it? Is it cringy and objectively bad writing?

Or do readers enjoy these kinds of literary devices?

Obviously, not all readers are the same. This post is designed to get an overall vibe reading on most readers.

Mmm I always use them with occassional japanese onomatopeia ex:コソコソ(kosokoso)
Dunno I like copying the sound effects in manga

 

[georgelee5786]

I don't like them in a writing format. If I'm reading a novel trying to tell a serious story and it has written sound effects, it would irritate me. If it were a comedy, I wouldn't mind as much but I still wouldn't like it

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Im not angry

Eat the cookie, or you get the Eerie witch.

 

[AYM]

Only enjoyed under these cases:

Spoiler: Case 1 ✅

Invisible dragon wanted to test how strong he was so
He used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of his power

Piuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwww

and 350,000 meteors fell from duh sky and suddenly
everything went all bambambambam everywan was ded it was bloody it was awesome

“hahaha I used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of my power and this is the result you insects keke”

Spoiler: Case 2 ✅

PLAP PLAP PLAP PLAP GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT UOOOOHHHHHH

 

[AmeronWerschrux]

Only enjoyed under these cases:

Spoiler: Case 1 ✅

Invisible dragon wanted to test how strong he was so
He used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of his power

Piuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwww

and 350,000 meteors fell from duh sky and suddenly
everything went all bambambambam everywan was ded it was bloody it was awesome

“hahaha I used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of my power and this is the result you insects keke”

Spoiler: Case 2 ✅

PLAP PLAP PLAP PLAP GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT UOOOOHHHHHH

Peak Fiction.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

Only enjoyed under these cases:

Spoiler: Case 1 ✅

Invisible dragon wanted to test how strong he was so
He used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of his power

Piuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwww

and 350,000 meteors fell from duh sky and suddenly
everything went all bambambambam everywan was ded it was bloody it was awesome

“hahaha I used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of my power and this is the result you insects keke”

Spoiler: Case 2 ✅

PLAP PLAP PLAP PLAP GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT UOOOOHHHHHH

*Pat pat pat* Get happy! Get happy! Get happy!

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Piuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwww

I think you misspelled "Pew". It's important. I guess.

 

[Corty]

Only enjoyed under these cases:

Spoiler: Case 1 ✅

Invisible dragon wanted to test how strong he was so
He used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of his power

Piuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwww

and 350,000 meteors fell from duh sky and suddenly
everything went all bambambambam everywan was ded it was bloody it was awesome

“hahaha I used 1/1000000000000000000000000000000000000th of my power and this is the result you insects keke”

Spoiler: Case 2 ✅

PLAP PLAP PLAP PLAP GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT GET PREGNANT UOOOOHHHHHH

I’m gonna copy that in my next smut chapter.

*Pat pat pat* Get happy! Get happy! Get happy!

Was that a sound effect? Cringe!